Friday, 12 January 2007

There's a lot of wind at the sea side in 1915, it seems, so we're treated to a lot of flying hats that blow around like crazy to the accompaniment of a large amount of crazy high speed slapstick fun. This time it's all even faster paced than usual because half the frames seem to be missing. Maybe that's why my DVD copy runs less than ten minutes even though the running time is listed as either sixteen or twenty depending on where you look.

The cast are all interchangeable with all the other casts Chaplin worked with, though the only one I recognise is the omnipresent Edna Purviance. It's a wild ride but very little else, with almost no title cards and not much explanation of anything. The film is nothing more than a framework on which to hang fights and chases with whatever props come to hand. They may be fun fights and fun chases but that's all they are.

I'm a transplant from the rain and beauty of northern England to the sun and desolation of Phoenix, AZ.
I'm also a traveller through the world of film, exploring the medium from many different starting points.
Whatever else I am is your opinion.